Longevity with a purpose. Loneliness

What if longevity were about much more than just getting older?

Unwanted loneliness affects thousands of older people and is one of the great social challenges of our time. However, it is not an inevitable consequence of ageing. Connections, engagement, purpose and community can make all the difference.

This Speakers’ Corner is an invitation to pause, talk and reflect on how to build a more connected, active and meaningful old age. Through four stages – Naming, Questioning, Seeking and Sharing – we will explore some of the issues that many people face as they grow older: how to talk about loneliness without stigma; what happens when our roles and routines change; what desires, projects or relationships are still waiting to be discovered; and what we can do, both individually and collectively, to ensure that no one stops feeling part of community life.

Curated by the Verisure Foundation and the Grandes Amigos Foundation.

On Saturday morning, from 12:00 to 12:30, Elena del Barrio, a sociologist specialising in social gerontology and active ageing at the Matia Institute, will talk to us about the different forms that a sense of purpose can take.